Lindsay Davenport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lindsay Davenport Leach

Davenport in 2013
Full name	Lindsay Ann Davenport Leach
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Laguna Beach, California, U.S.
Born	(1976-06-08) June 8, 1976 (age 49) Palos Verdes, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)
Turned pro	February 22, 1993
Retired	2010 (last match)
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Robert Lansdorp Craig Kardon (1994–1995) Robert Van't Hof (1995–2003) Rick Leach (2004) Adam Peterson (2004–2010)
Prize money	US$22,166,338 19th in all-time rankings
Int. Tennis HoF	2014 (member page)
Singles
Career record	753–194 (79.51%)
Career titles	55
Highest ranking	No. 1 (October 12, 1998)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (2000)
French Open	SF (1998)
Wimbledon	W (1999)
US Open	W (1998)
Other tournaments
Grand Slam Cup	SF (1999)
Tour Finals	W (1999)
Olympic Games	W (1996)
Doubles
Career record	387–116 (76.94%)
Career titles	38
Highest ranking	No. 1 (October 20, 1997)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	F (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005)
French Open	W (1996)
Wimbledon	W (1999)
US Open	W (1997)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals	W (1996, 1997, 1998)
Olympic Games	QF (2008)
Mixed doubles
Career record	18–6
Career titles	0
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	SF (1995)
Wimbledon	SF (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	W (1996, 1999, 2000)
Hopman Cup	W (2004)
Coaching career (2015–)
Madison Keys (2014–2015, 2017–)
Medal record Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Women's singles

Lindsay Ann Davenport Leach (born June 8, 1976) is an American former professional tennis player. She was one of the best players in the world, holding the No. 1 singles ranking for 98 weeks. She finished four years as the top-ranked player (1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005). Lindsay also reached No. 1 in doubles for 32 weeks.

Lindsay was known for her powerful and steady shots. She won 55 singles titles on the WTA Tour. This includes three major titles: the Australian Open in 2000, Wimbledon in 1999, and the US Open in 1998. She also won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In doubles, she won 38 titles, including three major titles.

Lindsay earned over US$22 million in prize money during her career. This made her one of the highest-earning female tennis players ever. In 2014, she was added to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Tennis Beginnings

Lindsay Davenport was born into a family of athletes. Her father, Wink Davenport, played volleyball for the U.S. at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Her two older sisters played volleyball too. Lindsay started playing tennis when she was six years old.

She was coached by Robert Lansdorp, who had also trained other famous tennis players. Lindsay went to Chadwick School and later Murrieta Valley High School in California. When she was 16, she grew about six inches in two years. This affected her coordination, but she still played very well. She joined the United States Tennis Association junior national team.

Lindsay was a top junior player. She won both singles and doubles titles at the National Girls' 18s and Clay Court Championships in 1991. She also won the Junior U.S. Open in 1992.

Becoming a Professional Player

Lindsay Davenport officially became a professional tennis player in February 1993. She quickly moved up the rankings. In 1993, she reached the third round at the 1993 Australian Open and the fourth round at the US Open. She also won her first big tournament, the European Open.

Early Career Success (1994-1997)

In 1994, Lindsay won her first professional tournament in Brisbane, Australia. She reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 1994 Australian Open. She also made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. In doubles, she won titles with different partners and reached the French Open final.

By 1996, Lindsay was a strong player. She won the tournament in Los Angeles, beating Steffi Graf for the first time. Her biggest win that year was the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She also won the French Open doubles title with Mary Joe Fernández.

In 1997, Lindsay won several singles titles. She also won the US Open doubles title with Jana Novotná.

Reaching World No. 1 (1998-2000)

The year 1998 was a huge one for Lindsay. She reached the semifinals of the 1998 Australian Open. She then won her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. She beat Venus Williams in the semifinals and Martina Hingis in the final. This win made her the first American-born woman to win the US Open since 1982. She also became the world No. 1 player. In doubles, she reached all four Grand Slam finals with Natasha Zvereva.

In 1999, Lindsay continued her success. She won Wimbledon, beating Steffi Graf in Graf's last Grand Slam match. She also won the Wimbledon doubles title with Corina Morariu. She finished the year as the world No. 1 again.

In 2000, Lindsay won the Australian Open without losing a single set. She beat Martina Hingis in the final. She reached the Wimbledon final and the US Open final, but lost both to Venus Williams. She helped the United States win the 2000 Fed Cup title.

Later Career and Comebacks (2001-2011)

Lindsay had another great year in 2001, winning seven singles titles. She reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. She finished the year as the world No. 1 for the third time.

After some injuries in 2002, Lindsay made a strong comeback in 2004. She won seven titles that year, more than any other player on the tour. She finished 2004 as the world No. 1 for the fourth time. Only a few other female players have achieved this.

In 2005, Lindsay reached the Australian Open final, where she lost to Serena Williams. At Wimbledon, she reached the final again, playing a very long match against Venus Williams. Lindsay had a match point but Venus won in the end. Lindsay won two more titles that year, bringing her total to 50 career singles titles.

Lindsay took a break from tennis in late 2006 to have a baby. She returned to the tour in 2007 and quickly started winning again. She won three singles titles in Bali, Beijing, and Quebec City. In 2008, she won two more titles, bringing her career total to 55 singles titles. She also won a doubles title with Lisa Raymond.

Lindsay played her last professional match in 2010 at Wimbledon in mixed doubles. In 2011, she won the French Open Legends Doubles and Wimbledon Invitational Doubles events with Martina Hingis.

Playing Style

Lindsay Davenport was known for her powerful and aggressive playing style. She was an "offensive baseliner," meaning she liked to hit the ball hard from the back of the court. Her game relied on a strong serve and powerful groundstrokes (shots hit after the ball bounces). She would hit winners to the corners of the court.

Her first serve was very powerful, reaching speeds of up to 119 mph (192 km/h). She also had effective second serves that helped her avoid mistakes. Her forehand was hit flat and hard, giving it good depth and power. Her two-handed backhand was also very strong.

Lindsay's main weakness was her speed and movement around the court. However, she worked hard on her fitness and improved this during her career. She was also known for her mental toughness.

Coaching Career

After retiring from playing, Lindsay Davenport became a coach. In 2015, she started coaching American tennis player Madison Keys. Together, they helped Keys reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the 2015 Australian Open.

Personal Life

Lindsay Davenport married Jon Leach on April 25, 2003. Jon is a former tennis player and the brother of her former coach, Rick Leach.

Lindsay and Jon have four children. Their son, Jagger, was born in 2007. They also have three daughters, born in 2009, 2012, and 2014. Jagger Leach has also started playing tennis and reached the quarterfinals of the juniors tournament at Wimbledon in 2024.

Awards and Accomplishments

• 1993: Named Rookie of the Year by TENNIS Magazine and World TeamTennis.
• 1996: International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Champion in women's doubles.
• 1998: ITF World Champion in women's singles and doubles.
• 1998 and 1999: Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Player of the Year.
• 1999: Named U.S. Olympic Committee's female athlete of the month for July.
• 2004: Voted joint winner of the Ambassador for Tennis award.
• 2007: WTA Comeback Player of the Year.
• 2014: Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Tournament Finals

Singles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1998	US Open	Hard	Martina Hingis	6–3, 7–5
Win	1999	Wimbledon	Grass	Steffi Graf	6–4, 7–5
Win	2000	Australian Open	Hard	Martina Hingis	6–1, 7–5
Loss	2000	Wimbledon	Grass	Venus Williams	3–6, 6–7(3–7)
Loss	2000	US Open	Hard	Venus Williams	4–6, 5–7
Loss	2005	Australian Open	Hard	Serena Williams	6–2, 3–6, 0–6
Loss	2005	Wimbledon	Grass	Venus Williams	6–4, 6–7(4–7), 7–9

Doubles: 13 (3 titles, 10 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1994	French Open	Clay	Lisa Raymond	Gigi Fernández Natasha Zvereva	6–2, 6–2
Loss	1996	Australian Open	Hard	Mary Joe Fernández	Chanda Rubin Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	7–5, 2–6, 6–4
Win	1996	French Open	Clay	Mary Joe Fernández	Gigi Fernández Natasha Zvereva	6–2, 6–1
Loss	1997	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Lisa Raymond	Martina Hingis Natasha Zvereva	6–2, 6–2
Win	1997	US Open	Hard	Jana Novotná	Gigi Fernández Natasha Zvereva	6–3, 6–4
Loss	1998	Australian Open (3)	Hard	Natasha Zvereva	Martina Hingis Mirjana Lučić	6–4, 2–6, 6–3
Loss	1998	French Open (2)	Clay	Natasha Zvereva	Martina Hingis Jana Novotná	6–1, 7–6
Loss	1998	Wimbledon	Grass	Natasha Zvereva	Martina Hingis Jana Novotná	6–3, 3–6, 8–6
Loss	1998	US Open	Hard	Natasha Zvereva	Martina Hingis Jana Novotná	6–3, 6–3
Loss	1999	Australian Open (4)	Hard	Natasha Zvereva	Martina Hingis Anna Kournikova	7–5, 6–3
Win	1999	Wimbledon	Grass	Corina Morariu	Mariaan de Swardt Elena Tatarkova	6–4, 6–4
Loss	2001	Australian Open (5)	Hard	Corina Morariu	Serena Williams Venus Williams	6–2, 2–6, 6–4
Loss	2005	Australian Open (6)	Hard	Corina Morariu	Svetlana Kuznetsova Alicia Molik	6–3, 6–4

Grand Slam Tournament Performance Timelines

Singles

Doubles

Images for kids

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  Davenport preparing to return a ball at the 2004 Wimbledon tournament

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  Davenport preparing to return serve at the 2006 U.S. Open